The Seventh Trumpet

Good afternoon. So today we are going to be looking at the rest of chapter eleven and the seventh trumpet. Now if you remember between the sixth and seventh seals there was this brief interlude in which God reminded his children that he is the one who is in control of everything that happens. Even if as in the case of the death of the two witnesses those deaths are caused by an antichrist. Chapter eleven now concludes with the blowing of the seventh trumpet which as expected is going to actually bring about the pouring out of the seven bowls. And if you remember we had mentioned previously the three woes that were to come and we looked at two of those. This seventh trumpet is the third and final woe. And you would probably expect the next several chapters to discuss the judgment that God will unleash through the bowls. But, we are going to actually have to wait for that until we get to chapter sixteen. Today we are going to look at the immediate events surrounding the seventh trumpet and then in chapters twelve through fourteen we are going to be shown that battle that Satan is going to be permitted to wage against the saints. But today we are going to look at only a handful of verses that describe the seventh and final trumpet.

In verse fourteen we read.

Revelation 11:14 ESV

The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

The first two woes contained the plagues of the fifth and sixth trumpets and now we are about to have the seventh trumpet sounded.

As I have already mentioned the sounding of the seventh trumpet is the introduction to the pouring out of the seven bowls of wrath. The bowls will be Gods final judgment upon this earth for the sin of humanity. And then Christ will return. But even then there will be yet two judgments that remain. But

and then in verse fifteen we read.

Revelation 11:15 ESV

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Remember the seventh seal contained no specific plague instead it simply described the sounding of the seven trumpets. The seven trumpets were actually what was contained within the seventh seal. And so we see something similar here. The seventh trumpet doesn’t contain a specific plague but rather it contains the seven bowls.

However, it is a little different in that instead of the introduction to the bowls we have instead a chorus of loud voices from the heavens announce that finally the time of the end has come.

This verse is the central theme of the entire book of Revelation. The Kingdom of God will be established here on earth. And this is going to require the removal of all power from any who stand against God. And so the godless nations of the earth will be defeated so that authority of Jesus Christ will be supreme.

There may be for some of us some perspective difficulties. And this is not uncommon when looking at prophecy that is still yet to be fulfilled. There is no clear distinction between the millenial rule of Christ and God’s reign in the age to come. Hopefully as we wrap up the book we will begin to see these two time periods a little better. And so I am asking you to bear with me as we continue the book and some of this will make more sense as we near the conclusion of the book.

Then in verses 16 and seventeen we read.

Revelation 11:16–17 ESV

And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.

So when this chorus of angelic voices announce the rule of Christ the twenty four elders who surround the throne of God fall to their faces in worship of God. And they basically state the same thing that the angelic voices did just using different words.

So I want to address just one of these phrases that can cause us to trip up just a bit. And that is the final phrase. Some might imagine that the elders are stating that now finally God will reign over the earth. We need to always remember that all authority and power here on earth belong to God Almighty. But in His sovereign wisdom he has allowed satanic powers to exercise a certain level of authority in this world.

But now here in our passage we see the elders celebrating in worship the complete removal of power from those satanic beings as well as those humans who stood against God almighty.

We must always remember that Jesus when he ascended into the heavens sat down at the right hand of God as Lord and Messiah. He is in control right now over all things even when it doesn’t seem as such.

Then in verse eighteen we read.

Revelation 11:18 ESV

The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

The nations raged - The entire course of history has been characterized by nations that stand against God almighty. Psalm chapter two verse one states this. And this reality will find it’s fulfillment in a final fit of rage against God in the end times.

But your wrath came - Look God’s kingdom can not be established here on earth as long as the nations are permitted to defy his rule and to persecute his people. The coming wrath of God upon the nations is necessary for the establishment of his gracious rule here on earth.

and the dead will be judged - The coming of the Kingdom of God will be about every life throughout history. One of the things that we miss so often is that we were not created for death. We were meant to live eternally in worship of our God. But sin brought death and when Jesus returns that will be reversed and all of mankind will experience the resurrection. And every man, woman, and child will stand before God in judgment.

And the prophets and the saints. Look the saints are every person who has placed their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. And on that day of judgment those individuals will receive a reward.

As will those who fear His name. And this will include all both the smallest or least of us to the greatest of us. Our physical stature, our age, our perceived power here on earth will have absolutely no weight as to whether or not one will receive a reward on this day.

And just as there will be rewards for those who place their faith in Jesus there will also be a time of destruction for those who willfully give themselves over to their sin and thus participate in the destruction of this world.

Finally in verse nineteen we read.

Revelation 11:19 ESV

Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Now I don’t believe that this speaks of an actual temple in heaven being opened up. I believe that this is language that is symbolic and is meant to represent the coming of the Kingdom of God. I say this because this would make it seem as though the temple of God were somehow closed to some. However, in Matthew 27:51 we read that the curtain that separated men from the presence of God was torn in two. God did this in order to signify that at the death of Jesus, the presence of God the Father was no longer limited to Israel but was now freely open to all of mankind.

Even still this was a spiritual reality for all of us. We still remain here physically on the earth and the presence of God is yet located in the heavenlies. And so there is not a physical reality to this relationship. But this is going to change.

And I believe that is what is being discussed in the opening of the temple in heaven. Now we have to wait until we get to chapters 21 and 22 to see the final fulfillment of this statement. When we will finally experience Jesus in our very midst.

The presence of the ark of the covenant is meant as a reminder that God is faithful to the covenant promises that he has made. And in the last days everything that he has promised and revealed from the covenant with Abraham to the New Covenant made in Christ Jesus, they will all be fulfilled.

Finally the flashes of lightning, the loud noises, the peals of thunder, the earthquake, and the hail are all ways of expressing throughout the scriptures the majesty and power of the presence of God almighty. This is why when you tie all of this together I believe that was is spoken of here in verse nineteen isn’t specifically about a temple building, but rather about the very presence of God Almighty.

Which only fits with the remainder of the passage.

So What?

Just a couple of point this morning.

First that I want to discuss is that well God doesn’t care who you think you are.

He Knows YOU

I know I introduced this in what might seem a strange manner. But there’s truth in that statement. The verses that we looked at today clearly state that this word belongs to God and God alone. And where all of us should find comfort is that in the end He will right every wrong that has ever been made.

These verses also invite us to worship Him as we think upon God’s future intervention within this world. Also, one of the greatest things revealed here I believe for our present day and age is that God will reward both the small and the great; just as he will punish both the great and small who reject Him. God doesn’t care who you think you are or who you see yourself perhaps as. Either great or small.

In the early church many looked forward to coming to church because within the walls of the church all men and women were seen as equals. In the early church either a slave or a freedman could rise to the office of bishop within the church. Today in America at least we tend to transfer worldly status into church offices. So we elevate community leaders in business and other areas to leadership positions within the church. This was not the way it was in the early church. A lowly fisherman would lead the church after Jesus death. One needs to wonder if we have lost sight of something today.

Finally I want to discuss the environment.

Environmental Concerns

I am not here this morning to discuss global warming. I simply want to remind us that this planet that we stand upon here today belongs not to us. But rather its creator, God Almighty. And so there should be in our minds the idea that those who corrupt that which we have been given should one day face judgment for that corruption of His creation. I believe that this idea includes many areas that today are being corrupted within our culture.

Today we want to focus so intently on the amorphous idea of global warming. But there is a concrete treatable reality right before us that is so quickly glossed over and that is a lack of safe drinking water throughout our world. It is estimated that nearly three million children die each year due to water-born disease. And look this is simply one of many other areas of considerable concern that can be affected now.

When God created humanity he gave to us dominion over the earth and all that was in it. To rule it well. And one day we will stand before him as to how well we have cared for the home that he has so graciously and beautifully created for us.

Amen

Amen

The Seventh Trumpet

Let us pray

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.